Collective Rights Management Takes Root In Uganda 24/07/2014 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With an increase in the number of entrepreneur artisans in Uganda, a need to protect and benefit from the artisan works has emerged in the country. There is a growing trend in rights management, especially in the fields of musical works, film and art.
EU White Paper On Copyright Reform Delayed Till Autumn 23/07/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission white paper on its ongoing copyright reform will not be available until early fall, a Commission source said this week. Officials had previously indicated that the paper might be published this month.
Global Project Looks At Takedown Notices Across The Internet 23/07/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Takedown Project is a recent initiative bringing the research community together to explore how the notice-and-takedown procedure in cases of alleged online copyright infringement are handled by internet service providers around the world. The project aims to create greater transparency in order to improve the quality of this global regulatory system.
At WTO, Nations Blast US For Continued Failure To Fix Havana Club Dispute 22/07/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Since that fateful night in 1998 when former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms slipped a provision on behalf of US rum-maker Bacardi into an appropriations bill blocking a Cuban-French company from using the Havana Club trademark in the US, it was expected the provision would eventually be overturned.
Microsoft Online Portal Aims At Increased Innovation, IPR Use In Africa 22/07/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Microsoft, a strong advocate of intellectual property protection, has launched an online IP portal in Kenya with the aim of helping innovators better understand different means of protecting their software and reap the economic benefits of their innovations. The initiative is planned to spread to other African countries.
The Term ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Key For Identity, Rights, UN Experts Say 22/07/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment United Nations experts are underlining the importance of using the term “indigenous peoples” in a UN draft set of sustainable development goals from which they say the term has been deleted.
India IP Policy Misrepresented By US Trade Representative, Indian Pharma Says 22/07/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An Indian pharmaceutical industry group has challenged the United States Trade Representative’s assessment of India’s intellectual property protection regime and suggested that India received more severe treatment than other countries solely on the basis of treatment of patented pharmaceuticals that it says is allowed under international rules.
Codex Alimentarius Adopts New Food Safety Recommendations 17/07/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A joint United Nations commission on food safety this week has set several new standards on level of lead, arsenic and drugs appearing in food.
UN Human Rights Report Finds Significant Harm, Possible Illegality, In Mass Surveillance 16/07/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today released a report criticising government mass surveillance, including the coercion of companies to release individuals’ information without their knowledge or consent. This activity is “severely hindering” accountability in human rights violations, and that governments must prove the legality of their actions, she said.
360 Applicants Bid For Top WIPO Posts; Selection Process Underway 15/07/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization is currently engaged in an unprecedented process for the selection of the new top management team to serve under recently re-elected Director General Francis Gurry. The open call for applicants resulted in some 360 applications from around the world, including from the upper echelons of WIPO itself, according to sources.